Once Upon a Time
by edwardandbella4evah
Summary: Fairytales of every kind: funny ones, sad ones, romantic ones.. All starring Duncan and Courtney. Fairytale number one: Rapunzel
1. A Tangled Beginning

**Yes, finally, some type of writing from me. I plan to update this regularly, with the proper motivation. Reviews and criticisms will be highly appreciated. **

**Without further ado, **

**Rapunzel**

**Part one.**

Heather paced her chamber with slow steps, making sure to avoid all of her malicious pets that were crawling on the floor. She hated to admit it, but she was bored. There was absolutely nothing evil for her to do; she'd already gone through her daily checklist. Running a hand over her shiny head, she settled on trying to find a solution to her main problem.

Heather was descended from a long line of witches, and being a witch implied possessing powers. Unfortunately, when a witch came into her powers, she lost the thing she valued most. In Heather's case, her beauty was sacrificed for power, something Heather's mother described as "far more stunning than physical beauty". For Heather, who wasn't the prettiest person on the island, her beauty meant her hair. So at an early preteen age, she lost it all. Every single strand. Since then, she had tried to steal hair from other girls in the land, but to no avail. Alas, Heather remained a molted snake, so to speak.

Currently, she was forming a master plan to get some hair, like usual, but she was stumped. She was isolated from the other inhabitants of the island, except for her two servants: Beth and Lindsay. And she would have rather died than take hair from either of them! Albeit Lindsay had nice hair, Heather claimed she was too smart to be a blonde. Furthermore, she hated blondes with a passion. Beth's pathetic ponytail would be a disgrace. She needed some nice, non-blonde, rich, thick hair that would make everyone envious of her. When running through the list of inhabitants of the island, she groaned; no one on the islands, let alone the whole world had that type of hair.

Heather growled, slamming her fists on the table where her crystal ball lay. Then, once noticing the rotund object, she smiled her own version of a twisted smile and sat down, focusing all of her energy on it.

"Crystal ball, where you lay, show me what to do today," she spoke slowly, cringing at the cliche-ness of the rhyme. It wasn't her fault; she hadn't come up with it. The crystal ball fogged up once the recital of the spell had been made and it took a good five minutes-much to Heather's impatience- before finally coming up with a clear image of the village square. For a good half hour she spied on the cheerful villagers, bored out of her mind. Then, completely by accident, she stumbled upon a bedroom, a strange vibe coming from it. Curiously, she made the crystal ball creep around the room, only to jump back and scream, covering her eyes.

"My eyes! Oh, my poor, unscathed eyes," she shrieked, rubbing them thoroughly. Apparently, she'd stumbled upon a select couple, during one of their 'pleasuring' moments. What made it hurt even more, however, was that the female of the couple was the one Heather hated the most. It was always a competition between them, especially back in grade school; who could have the shiniest hair (of course, this was back when Heather ha d hair), who could get the most dates, who could get the most votes for homecoming queen? The list went on.

Originally, the female's husband had been Heather's lover. But upon finding out that she was a bald witch, he hadn't reacted to the news so well. She hated them both, and vowed to someday get revenge on them.

There was one thing she noticed about the female during the little incident: she seemed a lot heavier up in the front. Suddenly, Heather came up with a great idea—an idea that would be the perfect revenge on the previously mentioned happy couple.

o 0 O 0 o

Bridgette cradled her small infant to her chest contently before taking a seat on the designer couch that was casually displayed in the parlor. A small coo escaped the new mother's mouth as the baby began to fuss in her arms, the less than pleasing smells of the aftermath of a party irritating her nose. Seeing her daughter's nose scrunch and crinkle, Bridgette sniffed the air herself, only to wish she hadn't a mere few seconds later. She stood up and set the small infant on the couch gently, only to straighten out her dress and then pick the little one back up and into her arms again.

"Geoff?" she called out, searching the room for her husband. "I'm going to take the baby to bed. I think the smell of alcohol might be bothering her." The response was a weakly heard "All right, Babe!", signaling that he was probably straightening out one of the other rooms of the house. Climbing up the wooden stairway, Bridgette reflected on how grateful she was towards God that he had allowed her to become a mother. She'd been wanting a child for so long, and here she was, blessed with a beautiful angel. She was the daughter of her dreams; feather-soft, flaxen-blonde hair with a slight curl, sparkling blue eyes, and the most adorable button nose. No wonder Bridgette couldn't keep her attention off of her.

Once arriving at the lavishly decorated nursery, Bridgette lay her sleeping child in her pink crib, turned on the lullaby-playing mobile, and kissed her once on the nose before turning to leave. She gave her sleeping daughter another glance before softly closing the door as to not stir the child from her slumber. Heading down the stairs, Bridgette silently cursed the aching pain in her thighs. Being pregnant really took a toll on her usually limber muscles. Since she had only given birth to her daughter a few days ago, she was still incredibly weak; even the slightest bit of exertion fazed her.

After what seemed like twenty minutes, Bridgette climbed down the stairs and located her husband. With help, she sat on the counter, feet propped up on a stack of empty pizza boxes. Neither she nor her husband spoke for a while, both of them enjoying the comforting peace and silence; with the new baby, only God knew when the house would be this quiet again. Bridgette stared at her buzzing husband; he moved around the kitchen, cleaning with a speed that belonged to ten Olympic gold medalists, not one husband. She took sudden interest as he bent over to pick up a stray beer bottle, noticing how his loose pants slid down further and further, far enough for her to see his star and hearts tattoo at the very end of his waist. Bridgette had to hold back another fit of giggles as she knew the story behind the tattoo; oh, what a drunken night could lead to.

Once recalling the story, she began to really laugh hysterically, much unlike her slow, sluggish behavior over the past few days. Alas, once the laughter had died down, the consequences of her actions took its place. She stifled a groan as to not upset her husband and slumped further in her position on the counter.

"What's so funny, Babe? Did I get pizza stuck to my butt again?" Her husband, Geoff, had asked, beginning to spin around like a dog trying to catch it's tail. Bridgette began to laugh all over again at the ridiculous comparison. Her husband never failed to amuse her, one of the many, many reasons why she loved him.

"No, no, that's not it at all. It's just," she paused here so she could hold in a giggle. "When...how...was your butt always that flat?" She asked, barely able to hold in her laughter. She began to calm down as Geoff rolled his eyes, continuing his cleaning. After a few more moments she figured what she'd been laughing about was really silly and inappropriate; her hormones were still flying a bit out of line, just a temporary, but lasting, side-effect from the pregnancy.

"Very funny, Bridgette," Her husband finally replied, sounding slightly stern and beginning to clean up once more. Bridgette knew she wasn't in trouble, as Geoff had a small smile on his face as he cleaned. She lay back further against the cabinet, focusing on relaxing her tense back muscles; they were cramping like crazy. She jumped slightly as her stomach knotted up; something was wrong, she could tell. Suddenly, a loud crash was overheard from the nursery, followed by the baby's wail. Bridgette, ignoring her husband's questions, raced upstairs with speed uncommon for a woman in her condition. She heard Geoff follow behind soon after, only a couple steps behind.

Bridgette barged in the room, previously unable to since the door had been barricaded by pieces of furniture in the room. Ignoring the obvious question of how the furniture had even gotten there in the first place, she hurriedly turned on the lights, looking towards the crib for her sleeping angel. But the sight she was met with wasn't what she wanted—not at all. She hurried towards the empty crib where a perfect, sleeping little angel once laid. Now, instead laid a note, and a note only. Bridgette brought her hand up to her throat, then fell on the floor instantaneously, beginning to cry. She was vaguely aware of her husband reaching the room, gasping in the doorway before noticing his wife crumpled on the floor.

"Bridge?" she heard him ask in a hesitant tone. She opened her eyes and rubbed them to see him already next to her trembling, sobbing figure. "Bridge, what's up? Are you okay?" Bridgette couldn't believe this was happening to her; she'd just been graced with a beautiful gift, only to have it taken away from her within two days. She couldn't bring herself to read the note; she would leave that to her husband. With a shaking finger, she pointed to the empty crib, another sob escaping her throat. She forced her eyes to remain open as she watched Geoff look towards the crib, and once noticing his daughter wasn't there, he cursed loudly, looking around the whole room. Due to the graveness of the situation, she couldn't find the heart to laugh when it took him a good ten minutes before noticing the very bright red note in the crib, even though it stood right out from everything else in the pink and yellow pastel colors of the room. As her heart clenched, she watched with anticipation as he picked the note up slowly and read it, closing his eyes and shaking his head in disgust.

"Babe, I'm so sorry," he finally whispered to Bridgette while getting down to comfort her. She embraced his warmth as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, protecting her the best he could. She cried into his chest for some while, and that was before she knew what the note even said.

"What...what did it say?" she finally brought up the courage to ask, wanting to know what happened to her daughter. Her grief had momentarily subsided enough for curiosity to take place.

Bridgette saw how Geoff hesitated to tell her. She wanted to strangle the answer from his throat from the way he looked at her. After what seemed like hours to Bridgette, Geoff silently handed Bridgette the note, a grim smile on his usually cheerful and optimistic face. Bridgette sniffled and brought it closer to her face so she could read it. It seemed to be years before she finally processed what the note said, and when she did, she paled and immediately fainted in Geoff's arms.

"Bridge? Babe? Holy crap, are you dead! How could you be dead and still breathing...? Wait...that's not possible. Bridge, wake up, c'mon wake up!" Geoff cried out to his unconscious wife. The red note fluttered lifelessly towards the ground, it's black letters glaring out of the red.

_Dear Mortals,_

_Thanks for the gift. I'll be sure not to return it. You guys sure know how to make one ugly baby, don't you?_

_All my Love,_

_Heather_

_P.S. I win :)_

o 0 O 0 o

Heather reappeared in her estate, far, far away from the village, clutching the wailing baby in her arms. She'd barely gotten a good look at the baby, but she already knew that it was butt ugly. She walked up the spiral staircase, which led to her potion room, hoping to transform the baby so she could deem it somewhat attractive. In a few seconds, they reached a dim room with a large table in the center and potions and serums bubbling and spouting all over the place. Once the infant got a good whiff of it, she began to wail all over again, much to Heather's displeasure.

"This is what I get for wanting hair," she grumbled, setting the bawling infant on the table, then examining her with great care and hesitation. She noticed the flaxen color of her hair, the sparkle of Geoff's blue eyes, Bridgette's peaches and cream complexion, all making Heather want to throw the poor baby out the window. With a shake of her head, she went to a counter off to the side and grabbed multiple bottles of potions and syrups, all looking nasty and very harmful to the poor infant.

"First, you need a name," Heather spoke; to herself or to the baby, it wasn't clear. As she looked for more potions and such, she gave the baby a quick glance.

"Courtney," she said without hesitation. "Your name shall be Courtney." The newly named Courtney hushed up almost instantly, as if by magic.

"Now, I _do_ hate blonde hair," Heather said as if Courtney could understand her. "It makes you look so...unoriginal. You aren't going to be a little weakling child here, not if I have anything to say about it. Let's see, now we could have you a nice red head, but that won't really do for a girl of your stature; and besides, it would remind me of crazy girl Izzy," Heather shivered at the thought of the woman. "And I don't want a revolting brown like Beth," she continued. "Hmmm. Let's see." Heather dumped a small vial of a green looking potion on Courtney's blonde head. She recited an incantation, and within seconds, Courtney's blonde hair instantly turned brunette.

"There we go," Heather said, clapping her hands. "The perfect shade of brown. But that's way too little hair to start out with, isn't it? But not too much, because I don't have the time to be taking care of all that, yet." She dumped another small vial onto Courtney's now-chocolate colored hair, and her hair immediately began to lengthen and sprout about three inches from her head, causing her to shriek and wail all over again because of course, having hair grow from your head forcefully hurts! After lasting no longer than a minute, Heather found that she couldn't take the wailing anymore and began to recite another incantation. Courtney instantly quieted.

"You shall be civil, polite, obedient, and loving," the witch said to her new child, "though you shall never fall weak to a man and will have strong opinions of your own." Heather forced a concoction she had previously made down Courtney's throat, and once she ingested it, she immediately began to coo and reach for her new-found mother. Heather smiled but then frowned upon noticing Courtney's fair complexion and sky-blue eyes. These features she had almost skipped because of the dimness of the room. Or maybe it was her faltering memory; who knew?

"We can't have you looking like a blonde angel, now can we?" Heather asked. "Fair skinned you shall not be, and I despise blue eyes." Within seconds, Courtney's skin began turning tanner and her eye color darkened and darkened until they were a deep black. But, unseen to Heather in the dim room, they had a nice sparkle to them that made her eyes bewitching.

"Your eyes will be black, like your soul soon shall be!" Heather called maniacally. "You will learn all of my spells and incantations. You shall be a good daughter, and a soon to be witch. Next to me, you shall be the most powerful, evil witch that ever walked the planet!" With that said, she laughed and took her newly transformed daughter in her arms, descending downstairs into the nursery she had previously prepared for her.


	2. A Tangled Life

**Yay, another chappie :3 I really love this one :D Please, please, review :) They make me smile. And I'm really sick, too (ugh, damn this stupid throat and fever) so the reviews will help me smile :) Credit goed to my ex co-author, Strixmoonwing, who is sadly not part of this project as of chapter four. You will be greatly missed.**

**Enjoy!**

"Mama, Mama!" a six-year-old girl called out, running frantically towards the sewing room. She was near hysterics, onyx eyes threatening to leak tears at any moment. She knew that she was in big trouble; if she didn't get the problem fixed quickly, and if her other mama was to find out, then she would be toast, literally. Using her thin legs to run up the many stairs, she burst breathlessly into the sewing room where one of her three mothers sat sewing yet another frock for the child.

"Mama!" the hysterical child cried again, running to her blonde, surprised mother. Said mother comforted the wailing child, stroking her long, chocolate-colored pigtails.

"Sweetie, Courtney calm down. What's the matter?" Wordlessly, Courtney showed her the ripped corset, and broken zipper on the dress her mother had slaved over for weeks. Once seeing the minor setback, Lindsay giggled and ruffled the child's soft curls; which then caused Courtney to look up questioningly, a look of confusion on her tear-stained face. Lindsay stroked the befuddled girl's cheek and giggled softly.

"Sweetie, it'll take about two seconds to fix. No biggie, no need to cry," Lindsay assured, voice like honey to the still-blubbering Courtney. The naive child sniffled and wiped her eyes, unable to believe that a disaster such as this could be solved so easily.

"Really?" she inquired, watching as Lindsay took out various supplies and turning around when she told her to.

"Of course. I'm not the best for nothing, Courtney. You should know your mother better than that." Courtney nodded her head numbly, listening to the thread and needle sewed up the back of the dress effortlessly. She exhaled a sigh of relief when the red flag had disappeared, knowing that there was no possibility of getting in trouble now. She shivered when she imagined what Heather would do to her; though she loved her with all her heart, she was her least favorite of her three mothers she.

Heather was always nagging the innocent child; giving her an earful when she forgot to shower at the precise time Heather had arranged for her, lecturing and scolding Courtney when she forgot a certain spell out of the difficult and agonizing spell book-despite Courtney being one of the brightest, most intelligent children in the whole village, due to all of her study habits-and of course, complaining when Heather brushed her hair. That was her least favorite part of her day; Heather would always pull too hard, and eye her hair suspiciously. Heather kept it no secret that she loathed how Courtney's hair curled becomingly into beautiful ringlets; Courtney would always tense up, worried that one day, her mother would chop it all off due to her hatred.

Her hair was her best asset, no doubt. Courtney loved how silky smooth and soft it became after Heather brushed it-despite her hatred for the routine. She adored how many compliments she received from her small family each day about it. Cutting the long length was a sin, the very worst kind, according to Courtney, at least. Courtney would never allow anyone near her with a pair of scissors, paranoia settling in the pit of her stomach and only dissipating when the scissors were long gone and within a fifty foot radius. She loathed when her 'yearly trims' came up; she preferred to keep it right below her waist, no trims necessary. When the time came she would holler and scream but it would do no good; Heather always got her way. And by Heather's way, it usually meant either tying the girl up or freezing her with Heather's abnormal powers. Courtney would always shudder at the memory.

"There, I'm all done Honey, why don't you go ahead and take a look?" Courtney turned around to face the mirror, eying the corset and zipper with great care. To her surprise, it was all fixed perfectly; just like her mother promised.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you Mama!" the small child squealed, jumping for joy that her favorite dress was back to normal again. Without hesitation she hugged her mother and her mother hugged her back happily.

"You're welcome Sweetie. Now run along, I have work to do." Eager to get back to her coloring, Courtney nodded and bounded out of the room waving goodbye to Lindsay. She hadn't ran two feet when she crashed into Heather, dressed in all her black glory.

"Watch where you're going, Girl. Haven't I told you that running is prohibited around the house?" Courtney blanched, knowing that she was caught in the act and couldn't tell a white lie to get out of it. There was no escaping a punishment now. She began to shuffle her feet, scuffing her shoes slightly while looking down at the floor.

"Yes Mama."

"And didn't I already have to remind you of this rule twice this week already?" Courtney cringed, remembering the two moments where Heather had let her off with a simple warning.

"Yes Mama," she squeaked in her mouse-like voice.

"Well then, you deserve to be punished." Suddenly Heather grabbed her by a pigtail and dragged her to her room. Courtney complained and protested, but it proved no use. Suddenly she stopped all her protesting actions and paled; punishment? What kind of a punishment? Fingering her remaining pigtail she tried to keep on a straight face while tears welled in her eyes. Heather wouldn't do that, she tried to assure herself, it's not what mothers do.

They climbed the stairs until Courtney thought that her legs would collapse from fatigue, finally reaching a far off, secluded room. Heather dragged Courtney forward, the poor girl stumbling and landing on a dusty, rotting chair. She looked around anxiously as Heather merely looked at her, scrutinizing her with great envy in her eyes.

"Have you been calling Lindsay and Beth your mother?" Heather suddenly spoke. Courtney, once realizing that this was what all the trouble was about, sighed in what she believed to be relief from any trouble or serious punishment.

"Of course I have, Mama. You're all my Mommies, just with different priorities." The young girl saw her mother raise her eyebrows in confusion at the word 'priorities', and she smiled on the inside, knowing that she had probably reached another level of pride in Heather's mind; she knew that pouring over the books during the day instead of playing in the garden (which she would've much rather done) would pay off in some way eventually.

"That's untrue, you filthy, spoiled child. Those two...bovine wenches have no relation to you whatsoever. They are merely your maids and you should treat them in such way." Courtney gasped aloud at this sudden news; she would never believe that the two women who had given her nothing but love, affection and respect were her maids.

"N-No! I don't believe you! They _are_ my mommies! And so are you! There's no need to be jealous, I respect and love you all the same way." Courtney's face contorted into an expression of pure confusion as she watched Heather begin to laugh rather wickedly.

"Jealous? You think that _jealousy_ is my problem? Okay, let's work with that; let's get rid of the jealousy." Courtney smiled at Heather, who smiled back for a moment before going to a dusty cupboard, rotting with age, and rummaging through it. Courtney, meanwhile, simply kept on smiling and began to kick her feet in the air, unaware that anything of meaning was going on at the moment. She was simply glad to have the problem at hand resolved, or so she thought. She was completely unaware of anything Heather was doing behind her.

Suddenly one of her pigtails were yanked roughly and when she looked up to see the offender, she saw Heather standing over her, a pair of scissors in her hands, her pigtail in danger of being chopped off. Before a second could pass, Courtney let out a scream that could put harpies to shame. She flailed and kicked around, her true age shining through beautifully at that very moment. A quick yank of the pigtail silenced her immediately though as she stopped her screaming.

"What's the matter, Courtney? I said I would get rid of the jealousy."

"You didn't say you would get rid of my hair!" she choked, silent tears running down her cheeks.

"You know how many people would kill for this hair? For the chance to be in your position?" Heather held up the girl's curls to her face, further emphasizing her point. Courtney simply whimpered as she tried to come up with a solution for both of them.

"O-Okay! I'll stop treating Lindsay and Beth like my mommies! O-Only you! J-Just...don't cut off my hair!" She knew it was shallow, but she was only six years old and couldn't help herself. She was completely relieved when the curls dropped back into place, signaling that Heather had taken her up on her offer.

"Good girl, and if I see you talking to them like they're your mothers ever again, I will personally cut off every hair on your head, and make sure it will _never_ grow again."

Gulping, Courtney nervously nodded, bowing her head in shame. How could she have done something so shallow to the two women who treated her with so much love and care? She was absolutely ashamed with herself. Sullenly, she stood, gave Heather a chaste kiss on the cheek to cement the deal, and walked away.

**o 0 O 0 o**

Years passed on; six, to be exact. Courtney made good to her promise, and hardly ever talked to Lindsay or Beth ever again, no matter how much it pained her. As she continued to grow, so did her desire for freedom. Just on the peak of womanhood, she yearned to discover what was behind the estate's walls. What was there to discover, out in the wild blue yonder? That question surged through her mind continuously, and it seemed to have no end.

She sat on the custom made swing, letting the gentle breeze sway her rather than manual force. She'd decided, for once, to let her hair down in a change, despite its unnatural length. The soft brown ringlets fluttered graciously in the wind, making Courtney hum in pleasure. Despite her boredom, she was quite content.

"A, B, C, it's as easy as 1, 2, 3…" two voices chimed in what seemed to sound like nearby. Curiously, as having not met another human besides Heather, Lindsay, and Beth, she hopped off the swing, pushing her curls behind one ear in order to be able to hear well.

"My mama takes care of me, my papa says do, re, mi…" Not having heard such an incantation in her life, as she was quite fluent with all the spells known to mankind, she started to climb the large oak tree, hoping to get a better view of the girls. Huffing in exertion, she heaved herself onto the lowest branch, climbing upward steadily.

"Ooh, ah, I want a piece of pie. Pie too sweet, I want a piece of meat. Meat too tough, I want to ride a bus. Bus too full, I want to ride a bull, bull too black, I want my money back," the girls continued to chant, moving their hands in some sort of a repetitive, yet rhythmic way. This intrigued the young child, perched so curiously on the high tree branch. What also intrigued her was their appearance, and how plain they looked compared to her.

Her clothes were custom tailored, always enchanted so that the colors shone brighter, and the patterns stood out bolder. The styles of her dresses always seemed better suited for a princess, rather than a girl who never left the estate grounds. Heather always made sure she never wore the same dress more than once a week, and demanded that every piece of the child's clothing be brought to her for approval, regardless of what Courtney thought of the garment. In addition, her clothes never stained, unlike the ragged, worn out dresses she saw the girls wearing right in front of her.

She cocked her head to the side, wondering why they looked so different from her. Their beings were covered with tiny imperfections; imperfections that would make Heather lock her in the attic for a week, had she displayed them. Brown and black smudges spotted their faces, signaling they had been playing outside for a while. Their short hair was partially knotted and windblown, signaling that they hadn't brushed it in well over an hour. Their dresses were worn out and patched up, covered in the same smudges that spotted their faces.

Courtney couldn't help but cringe.

Yet, she also couldn't help but wonder why she couldn't be as care-free as them. Why did Heather demand that she come inside and wash her face every hour and a half, precisely? Or, why did Heather enchant her long hair to never become tangled throughout the day? Brushing these thoughts aside, Courtney realized she would very much so like to be friends with these girls, as perhaps, she could start to be more like them.

Yet before she could even utter out a sound they began to manically giggle, entwining their dirty hands and running deep into the woods. Despite desperately wanting their friendship, Courtney was faced with a major dilemma. She knew the number one rule in her house; never, oh, never was it allowed to so much even think, much less step foot beyond the estate's walls. Yet, a surge of courageousness overcame her as she hoisted herself onto the wall, and once having balanced herself, jumped off of it all in one swift breath. She ran in the direction of the girls, and once having noticed them, a bright smile took over her face.

"Hey!" she called out excitedly, undoubtedly alarming the chanting girls who presumably had no idea that someone else had been occupying the grassy, sun dappled clearing. Courtney faltered slightly upon encountering her error, and straightened out immediately, trying to regain some of the composure she'd so meticulously been raised with. The two girls stared at her with wide eyes and there was a gap in silence between the three girls, filled only with wary stares cast towards Courtney.

Trying not to fidget under their searching stares, Courtney made an attempt at a charming, friendly smile. "Hello," she tried greeting again, inwardly praising herself for a warm, collected, and unfaltering voice.

Obviously, the two girls had not been raised with any sorts of manners and began to whisper between them, often looking at one another and then back at Courtney, making the latter feel very self-conscious of her.

Finally, one girl, darker skinned and skinnier than her companion, narrowed her dark eyes suspiciously at Courtney. "Who are you?" she demanded, high voice trying to assume a tone of authority; Courtney would know, she used that tone of voice on Lindsay and Beth when she was certain Heather was in earshot.

Despite the tone, Courtney's smile grew wider at the prospect of recognition. She extended a polite hand for shaking; she was absolutely positive that even Heather would have been proud. "My name is Courtney. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Yet within a couple of seconds, it was quite obvious that the feeling wasn't quite mutual. Both young girls eyed the proud girl critically with undisguised envy smothering in their eyes as their gazes swept over Courtney's clean, gorgeous dress. Courtney, despite all her judgments, began to fiddle with it subconsciously.

"I'm Sadie and this is my best friend for life, Katie. Like, we've never seen you before in the village." The newly named Sadie, the plumper and more light-skinned of the duo, remarked. Courtney faltered under her beady eyes that glared at every aspect of her appearance; starting from her bright violet dress and continued down her unbound, floor-length curly locks. Courtney scrunched her face in confusion when Sadie then frowned as she looked down at her own pink smock.

"Yeah, are you new here?" Katie asked then, breaking Courtney out of her line of vision. Turning to look at Katie, she shook her head, beautiful brunette locks bouncing over her shoulders. "No." She answered curtly. "I've lived here all my life."

Her simple statement caused alarm to spark in the two girls' eyes.

"Like, here, here? In the forest?" Sadie gasped, glancing around in a nervous manner as if expecting someone to jump out. Courtney rolled her eyes at their obnoxious, prissy displays. Fear was a weakness; Courtney spent her whole life getting rid of every tiny weakness Heather had taught her she had. Weaknesses were sin, in her life, at least.

"Well, not _right_ here." Courtney said, trying to ease their pathetic fears; she didn't know if she could take much more of the weak display. "I live a little farther away with my family…" She faltered with a guilty look, having remembered that she only had but one mother and hastily corrected herself. "Pardon, I mean my mother."

Katie and Sadie looked slightly less fearful but gave Courtney particular stares that she couldn't help but flinch under. "Like, I would never come live out here in the forest!" Sadie suddenly proclaimed. "I'd be too far away from Katie!"

Courtney watched Katie clamp hands with Sadie and wholeheartedly agree. "Totally! Same here! I'd never be able to live without my best friend Sadie!" Though Courtney was somewhat annoyed by the display, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy that these girls were so close to one another. The only two people that Courtney had ever felt a loving companionship with in her whole life were with Beth and Lindsay, yet that had been taken away long ago by Heather. Perhaps, she could become as close to Katie and Sadie as she had with Beth and Lindsay; that could deem a suitable replacement.

"Plus, the forest is like, totally dangerous!" Katie chirped, breaking Courtney out of her silent stupor.

"Absolutely! My mom told me that it's full of evil goblins, monsters, trolls, and witches!" Sadie continued. However, that last part piqued Courtney's interest. "Witches? What's so wrong with witches?" she questioned, stepping closer to the two friends. Why would Sadie's mother warn her about witches? Witches were intelligent, powerful people; they could rule the world if they wanted to. Or at least, that's what Heather had told her.

"Witches are like horrible, terrible women!" Katie spoke in a rather insulting tone.

"Ugly too, with evil tempers!" Sadie continued after her.

"They put curses on people they don't like!"

"And steal babies to like….roast them and stuff!"

Courtney had had a difficult time holding her tongue from snapping at these girls for their air-headed, false accusations, but the last statement was the last straw. Courtney placed her clenched fists onto her hips and fixed the two girls with a severe glare that could set someone on fire, should they cross Courtney's path.

"Now see here! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Witches do not steal people's babies!" She snapped. Heather could be mean and spiteful at times, but Courtney was positive that she would never do anything as horrible as steal someone's child, and certainly not to roast it! Imagine the asinine thought!

Katie shook her pigtailed head at her. "No, it's true. It happened to the animal doctor's baby years ago! Everyone at the village knows the story!"

Sadie solemnly nodded her round face in agreement. "Totally. Legend has it that the witch that stole Mrs. Bridgette's baby lives in these very woods!"

"And you can hear the shrieks of the poor baby being roasted alive!"

"Ooh, what if the witch and the ghost baby come and get us?"

"I'd like totally die!"

Courtney pursed her lips in annoyance. Clearly the two girls were hugging one another in fright, scaring themselves with their own wild stories and imagination; none of what they said was really true, Courtney convinced herself. The only witch that lived in this forest was Heather. She thought it was horrid and stupid that people in the village would tell such offensive fibs. Maybe she didn't want to go visit there so much after all.

"I'm sure that nothing will come and get you." She assured Katie and Sadie forcing a friendly tone back into her voice. Perhaps if she became friends with the two, she could show them how nice witches were.

"Even if the witch did come," Katie said, finally detaching herself from Sadie, "I'm sure the Prince would come and save me." There was a dreamy expression upon the girl's face as she spoke the word 'Prince.'

Despite herself, Courtney's curiosity was aroused. "Prince?"

Surprise registered on the duo's round faces at hearing the questioning tone in Courtney's voice. "You really don't know about the prince?" Sadie questioned, a look on her face like she was hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

Courtney bit back a rude retort, feeling very embarrassed that these air-headed girls knew about something she didn't. "No, but it seems that you and Katie know him," she finally said, a cold hint hidden in her voice. Sadie and Katie looked a bit fluttered at Courtney's remark.

"Well, we don't…er…know him _personally_." Sadie reluctantly admitted.

"But we know _of_ him!" Katie hastily added in a snooty tone. "Which is just as good!"

"Of course." Courtney said innocently, hiding a smirk. Maybe these girls weren't as smart as she'd assumed them to be. "Then tell me of him; I'm _dying_ to hear every, little detail."

"He's the son of King Trent and Queen Gwen." Katie explained, "And is the heir to the entire island."

"No he isn't! His two older brothers are!" Sadie interrupted.

"Mom says that his two older brothers are a-questing. I think one of them got turned into a swan…or maybe that was a frog….I'm not sure. But mom says those two will come back when double rainbows make men cry and raisins start turning back into grapes!"

"I hope that's soon. Raisins are icky!"

"I know like, right? They should just like, keep them grapes!"

"Ahem." Courtney politely coughed to get their attention. "So about the Prince?"

Katie scratched her hair in puzzlement. "You mean the one's that a swan or the one that's frog?"

"_The one that's here_!" Both girls flinched back at Courtney's impatient outburst and hastily went back to speaking about the island's sole, remaining prince.

"Well, he almost never comes out in public at the village, even when the King and Queen do." Katie said. "Only for extremely important events." She paused for effect and Sadie took over.

"Some say that the King and Queen don't want him to be seen in public." The plump maiden said in a low voice.

"Why is that?" For reasons she could not understand, Courtney found herself becoming deeply fascinated by this prince person. She had read of princes in the old romance novels that Beth kept hidden under her bed, but never heard of a real one before, much less believe that one had actually existed. Why had Heather kept her in the dark on such matters?

"I think it's because he's too handsome!" Katie breathed, hugging herself and batting her eyes lashes in delight. "He's so strong with shiny, raven-colored hair and absolutely gorgeous eyes!"

Sadie hopped from one foot to the other, squealing. _"SQQUUUEEEE!_ His eyes are like smoldering sapphire gems!"

Courtney supposed-cringing as she forcefully watched the fan-girlish display-that if going out in public made girls act as ridiculous as this, then it was no wonder why the prince hid away from public. However, she still found the whole thing slightly fishy. Why would the King and Queen want to keep their son away from people? There had to be another reason. Though she highly doubted these two knew much more than they had already revealed, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Are you sure that's the reason?" She ventured. "What if the Prince…."

Her voiced died away in her throat as the silence of the forest clearing was interrupted by a loud, jingling sound coming from deep within surrounding woods. It sounded as if it were coming steadily closer. Within moments, the bushes rustled and were pushed aside as wooden cart, pulled by a handsome, dark-haired man, made its way through.

"Did I hear someone talking about the Prince?" the man asked, flashing the three young girls a charming grin. "I've just got done selling royal novelties to the Royal Family, but if you three lovely young ladies are interested,"-he paused, a glint in his dark eyes-"and if happen to have some of your parent's money along with you...I'll be happen to show you my collection of rare and magical merchandise."

Sadie gave a delighted gasp. "I know who you are! You're Chris McLean! You sail to the island all the time to sell stuff!"

Chris gave the pig-tailed maiden a roguish wink. "That I do! Not surprised that you've heard of me. I am one of the best merchants around!"

"My mom talks about you all the time!" Katie piped up, smiling up at the handsome man. "She says that you're a nasty, filthy swindler con-artist tramp who's the male version of a hustler whore."

The grin slid off Chris' face at once.

Courtney made a mental note to look up the meaning of those words as soon as she got back home.

"Do you know what any of that means?" Chris asked.

All three girls shook their heads.

The alluring grin returned as quickly as it had vanished a moment before. "Good!" The handsome merchant cheerily said. He threw his arms out wide, ushering the girls towards the merchandise filled cart like a farmer herding sheep. "Now don't be shy, my pretty money-laden ducklings. Come and see what Uncle Chris has to offer."

After but a moment of polite hesitation, Katie and Sadie rushed forwards, skirts and pigtails flying, to pick through all the wondrous items laid out in the wooden cart. Even Courtney, who had tried to keep a distance, found herself along side with Katie and Sadie, peering in awe at all the curious-looking items that were clustered around. There were ribbons, bells, toys, clothes, jewelry, dishes, tools- many gadgets and knickknacks that provided endless entertainment for the young girls that riffled through the vast selection. Whenever one of the girl's picked up a particular item, Chris would suddenly appear by their side and, with a winsome grin, launch into tale of the item's importance and history.

"Now that, my dear Kimmy…"

"It's Katie."

"…that lovely plate you have in your hand there once belonged to the ancient queen of India, Cleopatra!" Chris said reverently, "Don't let breathe a word of this to anyone, but this very plate held the poisoned apple that killed the mighty queen!" Both Katie and Sadie gasped in horror and started at the rather dirty (and slightly cracked) plate in deepest awe.

Courtney, however, was skeptical of the merchant's tale.

"Cleopatra was the queen of Egypt, not India." Courtney pointed out. She had read about it in her history books. "That plate couldn't have been hers because she didn't die of a poisoned apple. A cobra bite killed her." Chris shot her a pointed glare.

"How would you know?" Sadie huffed to the know-it-all. "You weren't there."

"Neither was he!" Courtney snapped, annoyed by the girl's gullibility.

"He's the adult, though. He knows more than you do." Katie pointed out.

"Thank you." Chris said, flashing the two girls a brilliant smile, "For being such delightful maidens I'll cut two cents off the plate..._AND_ I'll show you two and little miss long-hair my newest little piece of merchandise. A rarity that I've captures from the deepest, darkest corners of the earth."

With great flare, the handsome merchant pulled out a cage covered by a white cloth. The girls all held their breathes and stared, waiting to see what strange creature lay behind the sheet.

"I, Chris McLean," the merchant said with the air of someone enjoying their own show way too much. He placed a hand on the white cloth. "Am proud to present, from the farthest corners of the earth, the dangerous, the majestic, the spectacular…" Chris paused for dramatic effect and whipped the sheet off the cage.

"_The magical flying rainbow chicken_!"

The girls stared, mouths agape, at the strange creature inside the wired cage.

"It's beautiful!" gasped Katie.

"It's wonderful!" echoed Sadie.

Courtney frowned.

"It's just a parrot."

The creature inside the cage was, indeed a parrot, and a sad-looking one as well. It sat at the bottom of a rather dirty cage with a gloomy expression on its colorful face. Its yellow eyes were dull and there was not a hint of sheen shining in its long feathers. Courtney felt an unexpected hint of pity for it.

"No, no!" Chris sternly said, narrowing his beady eyes at Courtney. "It's a magical flying rainbow chicken. Not a parrot!"

Courtney sniffed and jutted her chin out. "You can call it what you want, but it's still a parrot…and a sad one too. I think he wants to be let out."

The parrot's head perked up at Courtney's words. It stared at the girl with a mixture of hope and relief on its feathered face.

Chris scoffed loudly at the young girl's words. "What are you talking about? Chris Junior is perfectly happy!"

Chris Junior shot his owner an angry look that clearly said "Piss off."

"Can he really talk, Mr. McLean?" Katie asked, clamping her hands together hopefully.

"Of course he can!" Chris turned to the parrot and said, "Say Chris is the handsomest, most dashing figure to ever grace this pathetic island kingdom."

The parrot glared and snapped its beak shut. As it would ever say that!

A slightly angry expression slid across the merchant's handsome face. He turned to the girls and forced out a light laugh. "Aww, he's just shy in front of pretty ladies." He turned to the parrot and deeply growled, _"Aren't you?_"

Chris Junior reached out and forcefully bit one of Chris' fingers that had strayed too close. The parrot was rewarded by a loud pained yelp from Chris as well as a long list of colorfully vulgar words that Courtney knew not the meaning of. She stored them away in her memory to ask Heather about later on.

"Perhaps, he'd talk if you let him out." Courtney loudly suggested, trying to make herself heard over the curses Chris was shouting out. "I'll do it for you!" While the grown up was busy hopping up and down, sucking on his bleeding finger, the lovely, long-haired maiden gracefully came forward and opened the cage door for the parrot. She smiled at the little feathered head that warily poked out.

"Hello, I'm Courtney."

The parrot's golden eyes lit up and a smile seemed to form on its beak. With a loud squawk of delight, the parrot spread its colorful wings and flew out of the cage, past the girls and Chris, and launched itself up towards the blue yonder.

And it finally spoke.

"COURTNEY! COURTNEY! COUUUURRRRTTNNEEEY!"

It continued its grateful call until it was only a mere speck in the sky. The parrot's calls made Chris forget about his injury and look up at the deep blue horizon. As he stared at his disappearing bird, his handsome face grew horrified. He stared up into the sky like a dumb turkey, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"My parrot…" He gasped dumbly. His voice became a high-pitched screech. "YOU LET LOOSE MY PARROT!"

"You said it was a magical flying rainbow chicken." Katie pointed out, twirling one of her ribboned pigtails.

"FORGET WHAT I SAID YOU STUPID LITTLE BRAT!" The merchant snarled, rounding on the three girls, handsome face red with rage. "Thanks to your snotty, know-it-all, hairy little freak of a friend, my best merchandise is GONE!" He shot Courtney a glance of pure venom and growled at all three of them. "Get away from here- ALL OF YOU- before you brats destroy anymore of my items!"

The merchant was putting up such a frightening performance-throwing the white sheet to the ground and repeatedly jumping on top of it while yelling for all his lungs worth in a horrid temper-that three girls needed no further bidding. They hurried away as fast as their legs could carry them.

When they were far enough away so that Chris' ill-tempered yells could not reach their ears, Katie and Sadie rounded on Courtney.

"Look what you did!" Katie shrieked, pushing Courtney by the shoulders.

Courtney stumbled back a step, but did not back down from the two girls' accusing glare. She shot back her own furious stare.

"What exactly did I do?" she demanded.

"You got that nice Mr. McLean angry at us!" Sadie snapped, waving her hand in Courtney's face. "Now he'll probably never let us have the dead queen's plate! All thanks to you!"

"He was tricking you! That plate isn't nearly old enough to be any queen's plate!" Courtney heatedly argued. "Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that!"

Katie and Sadie's eyes widened at the sting of the hidden insult. The two friends looked at one another and then back at Courtney, eyes narrowed in fury.

"You think you're so smart!" Katie said in a hissed whisper, "but you're nothing more than a freak!"

"That's not true!" Courtney snapped, glaring at the two girls, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes.

Katie unleashed a cruel laugh. "Oh, really? What kind of normal girl lives in the woods with trolls and witches?"

"And that hair!" Sadie pointed out with a sneer in her voice.

Courtney automatically grasped a strand of her lovely brunette hair and stroked it nervously. "What's wrong with my hair?" she asked in a low voice, not understanding how her hair could possibly be a fault. It was the loveliest thing about her; her mothers all said so.

"Only trolls and horses keep it that long!" jeered Sadie, "it's hideous!" The two girls cackled like vile hyenas, ribbing one another as they continued to throw insults at the hurt maiden.

"You can hang someone with hair like that!"

"I'm surprised she hasn't tripped on it yet!"

"Birds probably make nests in it!"

"I bet it makes a cozy home for lice, hehe!"

"Hahaha, food for the birds then! Haha!"

Angry tears sprang to Courtney's dark eyes at each jeer was hurled at her like an arrow to the heart. Why were these girls treating her so horribly? All she had ever wanted was to be their friend. Her hair wasn't hideous- it was beautiful. She bit her lip to hold back from crying in front of these cruel girls. With fists clenched, Courtney fixed the nasty duo with the most hateful glare she could muster.

"I don't see why I ever wanted to become friends with you two! You're both nothing more than horrid, simple-minded sheep!" She spat. Whirling around, Courtney quickly ran as fast as she could back into the forest, towards the path that led to her home.

Behind her, Courtney heard Katie call out cruelly.

"I HOPE THE WITCH SNATCHES YOU, YOU FREAK!"

The tears finally sprung out and Courtney found herself sobbing in bitter fury and disappointment the entire way home.

The black day eventually dimmed into an even darker night. Courtney's sniffles and tears had long subsided hours before and she now glumly followed a short distance behind Heather as she led her higher and higher up the spiraling staircase of the isolated tower. Courtney had never been here before. It wasn't too far from the estate, but it was hidden quite well in a small valley, sheltered by cliffs with cascading waterfalls. Heather hadn't spoken a single word to Courtney since ordering her to be quiet and to follow her. That had been two hours ago.

It had taken Courtney longer than expected to make it back home. Her vision had become so blurred with tears that she was forced to stop out of fear of running into something. For a good long while, Courtney just sat underneath a low tree and brokenheartedly wept as she hugged her knees. Never had she ever had such a lovely, exciting day end so horribly.

When she had finally made it home, her beloved maid Beth took one look at Courtney's puffy red eyes and tear-stained cheeks to know that something had gone terribly amiss. The kindhearted woman spread her arms open. Forgetting all about the promise that she had made to Heather all those years ago, Courtney threw herself into Beth's loving embrace. She sobbed out the entire story through a fresh wave of tears while Beth gently stroked Courtney's brown ringlets and saying reassuring words to the poor girl. After all, the plump maid herself knew the horrid feeling of being teased and bullied by others.

When Heather had found out, she was less than sympathetic.

"What's the matter with you, you stupid, stupid child!" Her mother had screeched in fury, gray eyes narrowed in anger at her daughter. "You know the number rule that must be followed in this household!"

Courtney winced and whimpered, wishing that she could press herself close to Beth and Lindsay who hovered a few feet away, looking very sympathetic towards their young mistress. Never had any of them seen Heather work herself in such a fury in ages…not since Lindsay had actually ordered a thousand cases of dog poo instead of _sham_poo. The shed never smelled the same since.

"Never talk with anyone from the outside." Courtney obediently murmured. She lifted her bowed head and felt a spark of defiance rise within her. She was tired of being yelled at today. "But why? I just wanted to be friends with them! I'm tired of having to be alone all the time! Why can't you take me out of the village where I can find other, nicer girls to be friends with!"

A look like a rising storm cloud rose on Heather's face. The lights in house all slowly dimmed and finally extinguished into dark nothingness. Looking at the terrified looks on Beth and Lindsay's face, Courtney realized that she had instantly gone too far.

"She didn't mean that Heather, oh most beautiful and powerful of witches!" Beth groveled, rushing forward to save Courtney from Heather's wrath. She wrung her hands and hung her head humbly before the dangerous temptress.

Lindsay blinked in her usual confused manner. "Really? It sure sounded like little Cathy meant it."

Despite having the patience of a saint, Beth sent Lindsay a withering look.

"SILENCE!" Heather shrieked as a bolt of lightning up the sky outside. Thunder rumbled and rain started to pour down from the heavens. The witch towered over Courtney; her gray eyes flashed with such power that made Courtney cower like a small child at once.

"_Friends_?" She spat out the word like something foul. "After everything I've provided you all these years! Dresses! Jewels! Endless hair products! And you want FRIENDS?" Her mother raged and screeched like a banshee. "YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT! Friends are NOTHING! What kind of witch are you? Have all my years of teaching been wasted on this careless, ungrateful daughter?"

With a vicious growl, Heather grabbed Courtney by the wrist and pulled her towards the door. Heather slammed the door open with a kick, letting in a torrent of wind and rain into the house.

"You want friends? Hah! I'll show you what a witch truly wants…whether you like it or not!"

Courtney only managed to flash Beth and Lindsay a gloomy look over her shoulder before she was pulled into the stormy night. Beth sadly waved good-bye while Lindsay wailed into a tissue.

It would be the last time Courtney would see her two faithful maids.

Now Heather had led Courtney to the very top of the tall, isolated tower. The top was made up of a single, large circular room. Though very spacey, the room was bare except for a bed and a couple shelves covered with vials and bottles of strangely colored liquids. Rafters hung above the two, covered in spider webs with a bat or two napping upside down.

Heather glided across the room like a shadow, muttering darkly under breath and grabbing different vials from the shelves, pouring and mixing them from one vial to another. Courtney nervously waited in the middle of the room.

"Mother, I don't mean to sound rude, but what exactly are we doing here?" Courtney asked, fiddling with her long, brown curls. It was a habit she had adopted for when she was anxious.

"Shut up and unravel your hair. It's all ready." Heather ordered, approaching her daughter. In her hand was a small flask filled to the brim with an odd golden liquid that unleashed a soft glow.

Courtney tightened her grip on her hair. "M-My hair?"

"Did I stutter? Yes, you stupid girl, your hair! Unravel it and spread it out. I can only do this once and there will be hell to pay if you make me mess this up!"

Reluctantly, Courtney did as she was told and unbraided her gloriously long hair. It fell like a cascading waterfall upon her shoulders and to the ground, as lovely as silk. Heather's heart burned with jealously at the sight of it. Pushing the feeling aside, the bald witch narrowed her eyes in concentration and positioned the veil above Courtney's head. She carefully poured the golden liquid upon the girl's head. As the brunette locks soaked up the magical liquid, letting out a lovely golden glow, Heather began to softly sing,

"_Magic old and magic deep_

_Time to awake from your sleep_

_From this maiden you shall shine_

_In her hair until comes cutting time."_

The beautiful mane of hair glowed as gold as the sun for moments more before returning to its original lovely brunette. As her mother has sang the strange song, Courtney has felt a strange feeling of warmth spread from deep within her breast and spread throughout her body from her toes all the way into the roots of her hair. The glowing stopped but the warmth still remained. Courtney slid her fingers through her hair- it felt as warm as if left all day in sunshine.

"What happened?" Courtney asked.

Heather didn't answer at first. The bald mistress took a step back and gave a nod of satisfaction. So far so good. Now to just test it…

"Do a spell," he ordered to her young daughter.

Courtney blinked in puzzlement at her mother. "A spell? What kind of spell?" Heather had told her only a few simple ones. "A bruise healing one?"

"No! Not that easy one!" Heather snapped in an annoyed tone. "Do something that I haven't taught you." She waved her hand airily towards the walls. "Paint the walls."

Courtney looked at the drab, gray walls. They did need a bit of color in them. However, she was clueless on what spell to use or if she was even capable of performing such a feat. Not wanting to inflame Heather's temper once again, she quickly came up with a traditional four-lined spell.

"_Walls so gray and lifeless,_

_Color is what you need,_

_Not blue, not red, not yellow,_

_But perhaps a nice bright green!"_

As she spoke, the warmth returned with intensity and spread throughout her body, filling her with a sensation of power. Her hair sparkled and glowed brightly and in an instant, a stain of lovely green- the green of newly sprouted leaves in spring- appeared on the drab gray walls and spread until every inch of the stone walls were beautiful painted with green.

Courtney gasped, hand over mouth and stared in delighted amazement at the wondrous transformation in the room.

"I did it!" She cried, clapping her hands and jumping up and down happily. Heather looked around the room and grimaced. Black would have been preferable.

Thrilled from the discovery of her great magical ability, Courtney giggled giddily and immediately began to test out more of her magical powers. Singing out incantations, Courtney pointed her finger at different directions, sprouting out jets of sparkly magic. A broom came to life and swept up the dust and cobwebs. The cracked pitchers were mended and filled with blooming flowers. An unfortunate bat's fur was turned into a bright pink. The permanently blushing bat let out a screech of horror and covered himself with his wings while it's upside down companions pointed and laughed.

"I can't believe this!" Courtney twirled around looking at how lovely the room looked now. With her back turned, she didn't notice a distressed pink bat fall from the rafter to the floor with a small 'thud'.

"I have awakened all your magical potential." Heather confirmed with a nod. "You are now a true witch with the power that comes with it."

Courtney rushed forward and hugged her mother around the middle. "Thank you so much, mother!" She didn't notice how Heather flinched in disgust at the loving gesture. Courtney thought for sure that Heather had brought her here for punishment, but this was the greatest reward her mother could offer!

"It was no trouble at all," Heather silkily said, patting her daughter on the head. She then let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh dear, what's this?"

Courtney broke away from the hug and gazed up at Heather, blinking in confusion. "What's what?"

"Your hair," Heather tutted circling around the young girl and gazing at her skeptically. "There's something off about it."

This set off a spark of panic within the girl. "May you fix it?" she asked in a desperate tone. She gazed at her mother trustingly, unaware that the true, dark intentions of the trip were about to be revealed.

Heather's gray eyes gleamed as she cruelly smirked. "As you wish."

With a quick flick of the older witch's wrist, all the beautiful curls in Courtney's hair straightened out with such torturous force, Courtney shrieked loudly from the pain. It was stretched and stretched until tears sprang from her eyes from the pain. It felt as if all her hair was being ripped from her scalp. The pain came to a halt when her hair was several feet longer than normal. Panicking, the young girl frantically cried out a spell that would make her cherished ringlets return and shorten to their normal length, but Heather's magic was too powerful for hers to cancel out. Her beloved hair was ruined and stretched out to an impossible length that would only continue to grow in time.

Courtney fell to knees and wept. This trip had been punishment after all.

"You only have yourself to blame." Heather coldly said, not even bothering to comfort her weeping daughter. "I see now that I've been too easy on you all these years, but no more! From now on, you shall live in here, away from the coddling of those dim-witted maids and any temptations to go the village. You will let down that freakish hair, I shall come here every day to teach you and bring you food, but until you are the perfect little witch, you shall never leave this tower! Never!"

With that one last threat hanging in the air, Heather exited the trap door and slammed it shut. There was the click of a lock being set.

Courtney ran over to the door and struggled to get it open, muttering spells and tugged at it, but the magical lock was unbreakable. Courtney was completely trapped and alone in this tower, possibly for the rest of her life. In such a dire situation, the room looked despairing as ever before, even with the colorful transformations.

With a heart-wrenching sob, Courtney threw herself to the bed and wept with grief at the future that awaited her.

Suddenly there was a sound of flapping and a voice called out in joy.

"COURTNEY!"

The girl lifted her tear-stained face, hoping for a second that it was her mother changing her mind and coming back to apologize and take her home. However, she was greeted by a sight that was just as welcoming.

"Chris Junior?" she gasped, staring in surprise at the wet parrot that was perched on the window. She recognized the merchant's parrot that she helped let loose and remembered its name.

The parrot squawked happily and flapped its wings excitedly. Courtney held out her hand and the parrot flew into it. The beautiful macaw rubbed its feathery head against Courtney's cheek, eternally grateful to the young mistress for setting him free.

Despite all the horrid events of the day, Courtney managed a small smile. "At least I won't be completely alone after all," she whispered, petting the parrot's feathers with her index finger.

"COURTNEY!" Chris Junior squawked in reply.

As the rain continued to heave down, both the girl and the bird stared out the window, both silently wondering what kind of future lay in store for the two in their new trapped existence.


End file.
